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Recently, I filmed a YouTube video that I had written for my internship with Skillman Video Group. And building up to the shoot day, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I made sure I was prepared, and I made sure my actors were prepared as well. However, I still didn’t learn what was really going to happen until it did, so here I am to teach you a few things you should expect on a shoot day for Boston video production.

Actors

Now, if you’re filming a YouTube video, odds are you don’t have professional actors. I definitely didn’t. However, the actors I did manage to convince to be in my video did an excellent job regardless. But because they were not professional actors for video production Boston, none of them were completely confident in their lines. They all knew their lines, but they were still nervous about performing them once the camera started rolling. What I needed to do was make sure they were as comfortable as possible, and once they were, they did an amazing job. So don’t get frustrated with your actors for not doing something a certain way. Most people don’t perform well under pressure, so try to instead be encouraging and patient, and odds are the shoot will go smoothly.

Sound

I am going to be completely honest. I don’t have a ton of experience with sound in video. I usually just don’t film many videos with sound in it at all. I’m more of a put music in the background and silence the video type of person. However, for this shoot, since I wrote in several lines, sound was a huge priority. I was lucky enough to be able to borrow a camera that I could record the sound on separately. My camera does not have decent sound recording, so this was extremely helpful. I would recommend doing this for anyone who doesn’t have access to an external microphone or camera with better sound recording.

Shooting a YouTube video for video production companies Boston can be stressful, but in the end it’s worth it. If you know what to expect, you stay organized, and you make little to no mistakes, you will end up with a product you are proud of, and that is all that really matters.

Equipment for a Video Production Shoot

Are you planning a video production Boston shoot? Do you want to know all about how to find and/or use equipment for the shoot? Well lucky for you, I am here to provide that information!

Video Cameras

When creating a video project, you will definitely need a video camera. There is absolutely no question on this matter. Now, if you are doing this project for school, it is probably fine to use a smartphone. However, I would not recommend that method, as smartphones fill up storage quickly and the video quality is not as good as it would be on a regular camera.

Personally, I would either borrow a camera from a friend, or depending on the importance of the project vs. how many more videos you will have to take, invest in a nice beginner camera. Learn about DSLR Cameras

While preparing for my video shoot for Skillman Video Group: a Boston video production, I decided on using my Nikon D3400, even though the sound quality is terrible. The video is perfectly decent, and I was going to use an external microphone anyways.

Lighting Set Up

Making sure you have good light quality in your video is important. You don’t want your video to look like you took it in a dark cave in the middle of the night, so make sure your lighting is decent. Using natural light can be tricky in video, because of the sun changing and clouds. Overall, the sun is very fickle sometimes. You could be filming and then all of a sudden have to stop because the sun went behind a cloud. Or maybe you started filming when the sun was behind a cloud, but now the sun is shining in everyone’s faces and creating a glare on the camera. You can make natural light work, but artificial lights are always helpful. A couple soft box lights here and there would be a good idea if you’re planning to film indoors especially.

Audio for Video Production

Unless you have a professional video camera, like production companies Boston do, you might want to think about the sound quality on whatever camera you’re planning on using. Investing in an external microphone could be important if you’re going to be filming with a beginning camera like myself. This is especially important if you’re planning to film outside. With background noises whipping everywhere, having a microphone that can focus on the sounds you need in your video will be vital in ensuring that your video turn out good.

Preparing your equipment for a video shoot may be stressful, but as long as you think of everything you possibly could have and you stay organized, you’re all set!

Marketing Video Production Services has become more prominent within the industry throughout the past years. With every form of communication being through social media or the internet, it is causing companies to change their marketing tactics. Strategies have to change when the audience changes platforms. Everyone is working hard to get theirvideo marketing strategy just right, but what is the best way to do that? Skillman Video Group uses a company’s values as our approach to making the perfect video.

Each company we work with is different from one another. They aspire toward different goals and have different responsibilities when it comes to their customers. We have worked with consulting firms, law firms, insurance companies, and many others types of businesses. The one thing every company that we have worked with has in common, is that they want us to help them tell their story. Video Marketing Production isn’t just about telling them story though. To create the perfect marketing video SVG focuses on your company’s values and the meaning behind the work done everyday. Looking into the values of your company will allow your customers to really understand you. They want to know why they should be doing business with you, and the best way for them to find out is to learn about the company and the people within it. Some of the main questions SVG likes to have our clients answer in their videos are; What drives you? What are your passions? How do your value transfer to the company’s? All of the questions allow the video’s audience to learn more about the company, and really understand why people get up and do their work everyday. There is always more meaning behind the work being done. Telling the customer the real meaning of all your work is the best way to pull them in.

Other professional video production companies have other focuses when it comes to creating Marketing content, but SVG likes to dig deep. We want your marketing videos to grab the audience and teach them what you are all about. Marketing Video Production isn’t just about telling a story. It is about revealing your passions and reasoning for getting up and doing what you do everyday. Video Marketing is the best way to show your audience the intent behind your company goals.

In digital marketing, it is critical that a team or individual accurately and strategically targets an audience. This process of strategically placing an audience into separate categories is referred to as market segmentation. What segmentation does, as The Balance puts it in their blog post, is it allows a company to understand an audience in a way that makes them able to satisfy the needs of their customers more effectively. Segmentation strategically categorizes audience members based on characteristics such as geography, knowledge or lack of knowledge pertaining to the company/product, age, gender, religion, etc. Based on these categories, marketing teams can now begin to create specific messages that relate closer to each of the segments within their target audience. Perhaps a segment of their market, is recently showing a lack of engagement. What a team can do now is create specific content or copy this segmented piece of their audience. It is all about trying to strategically hone in on a specific group within a target audience.

In professional video production, this type of strategizing is critical in order create an effective piece of content that will truly speak to a group of people. For one of our most recent New England video production shoots, we Dr. Chang who runs her own dental practice in Natick, MA. While interviewing her, the conversation and questions were guiding her towards compelling and eloquent responses with a target audience in mind- that being current and potential new customers. During the shoot and interview, this was on the forefront of everyone’s mind, and so, the interview process was took shifts and turns in order to appease that specific target audience. With the questions we asked, the energy we invited Dr. Chang to exude and the responses we knew were critical to the project, it was all in spite of the target audience in mind.

When in the process of professional video production, audience is always key. Who is watching this? Who cares? And above all, why do they care? Keeping a target audience as the compass is something every professional video production company or marketer needs to learn. From our experience as a New England video production company, it has proven itself undeniably valuable to creating successful video content.

Most top corporate video ideas circle around the interview style video. There are many different ways our Boston Videographer like to set up their interview. Setting up an interview has to do with the placement of different equipment. You have to decide the best lighting, direction, and background for your shot. Using these tips you can set up and shoot your interview .

Place the Chair

One of the first steps when setting up your interview is choosing where your subject is going to be. The placement of the subject with be the main focus of your shot. Behind them should have a nice background that features something that represents the topic of the video. Another big piece that comes with placing the chair is deciding which was the subject will be facing. In interviews you want the subject to be looking next to the camera instead of straight toward the camera. When you place the chair it will determine where you need to set up the lights and other equipment around the room.

Set the Lights

The best lighting for interviews is three point lighting. Have your main key light head on facing the subject. This allows you to illuminate the subject, while using diffusion will make the light not so harsh. Use a fill light to cancel out the shadows that the key light may be casting. Shadows can be distracting in an interview, so it is important to get rid of most if not all of them. Your last light should be facing behind the subject to add to the background. Setting up the lights is important, because you want them to be positioned to highlight the subject, while also not being in the shot. Make sure to tape down any cords that may stick up as well. Keeping the equipment organized will help the shoot run smoothly.

Start the Conversation

An important part of an interview is to make sure the interviewee is comfortable in front of the camera. The best way to start an interview is to get the interviewee to start talking about themselves. Starting a conversation about their lives and moving into the subject of the video is a good way to get them talking more natural. Make sure the interviewer is prepared with questions that are clear and easy to understand. It is also a good idea to allow your interviewee to see the questions before but make sure they don’t script their answers. Scripting interview answers makes it seem too forced, and you want to it to be natural and intriguing.

Interviews are a great video type to help inform your audience about your company. Skillman Video Group has worked with many companies to help create wonderful interviews. Using these tips you can create an interview to the standard of many Boston Video Production Companies.

Anyone just starting out in Videography wants to make sure that they are familiar with the equipment. There are many small aspects to the process of video production services that may be overlooked by beginners. You don’t just want to just pick up the camera and start shooting. Once you have your idea and shoot planned out you want to think about the little things that will affect your video. You may not be a professional Boston Videographer, but with these tips you can prepare to shoot on your own!

How to Shoot Video

If it’s your first time shooting, you want to be confident with your equipment. You should know the in’s and out’s of using, holding, and moving your camera. You want to be careful of having shaky hands when holding your camera. For this reason, most interview of stand still shots are done with tripods. If you don’t have a good quality tripod already, it is recommended to get one of those perfect smooth shots.

How do You Make a Good Video?

It is important to use your resources to light your scene. There are different ways to set up your lighting to best illuminate your set. Three point lighting the the basic setup for video shoots. Using key lights and back lights to light up the main person of your shoot and the background. Use diffusion to lower the power of the lights against the subject of your video. An important part of lighting for videos is to make sure to white balance. If you forget to use white balance your the colors in your shot may come out a little different than they look in real life. Using white balance is the easiest way to get the colors in your shot accurate to how they look in real life.

How to Shoot Wide Shots

It is important to know how wide you should shoot for the shot. You want to make sure you get close to your subject. There is no reason to have a wide background when you can focus close in on your subject. Be careful not to get too close, because you also don’t want your subject to be too large for the shot. There is a good balance between the two. A good tips to try is having the interviewee hold a fist on top of his or her head. The camera should be focused from the chest to just the top of the fist.

Video Shooting Techniques

You have to be very careful when zooming during a shot. Many people use zoom frequently when they are first starting out on camera. The one issue with this is sometimes it does not look as good as you would picture it to be. People can be very shaky when they go to zoom their camera. Video Production Companies that use 4k are able to zoom in during post, but when you are just starting out you want to work around zooming. Instead of zooming in during your shoot, you can stop recording and move closer to the object to get the more zoomed in look. This can help make your transitions and zooms smoother. If you do zoom, make sure you know how close you want to get before you just hit the button. Zooming in and out quickly can be shaky in your shots.

Whether you are just picking up your first camera or are more familiar with shooting, these tips can help keep you on track to become a great videographer. Find that great idea and work to create your own Boston Video Marketing shoot!

What are the Roles and Responsibilities of a Video Producer?

A Video Producer is a very important member of a crew. They have many responsibilities and roles throughout the whole process of the video production services. From planning to post production, the producer is making decisions and making sure everything gets done. There jobs are involved with every field within the video shoot. There are many members of a video team that take part in creating the successful final product. The video producer works with each of the other crew members to make sure everything runs smoothly. They oversee the whole project from start to finish. Here are some of the big roles men and women video producers play…

1. Client Contact and Budgeting

The Video Producer is the middle man between the client and the rest of the crew. It is one of the first roles the producer plays but stays constant throughout the whole shoot. If there is any questions or concerns that the client might have, it is the producer’s job to answer them. There will be a lot of back and forth between the client and producer to plan the shoot before it even happens. Depending on resources and money ,it is up to the producer to make sure that the client gets everything they want within their budget. It is very common for the producer to have to go back to the client and tell them they might need to change things around to stay within budget. The Producer acts as a medium between the creative team and client. There will be some back and forth to determine whether the creative team needs more or the client has provided enough. The number one goal is to keep the client happy while helping them create their vision on screen. The Producer takes the time to make sure everything is how it should be and the client is happy.

2. Managing shoot day logistics

On the day leading up to the shoot, and on the actual shoot date, the producer is in charge of all the logistics. The crew will be hired through the producer. It is up to the producer to make sure everyone has the call sheet and is on the same page. Scheduling the shoot day is very important, because you want to make sure everything is written up before hand to ensure a smoother day on set. The Producer is also in charge of making sure everything is on set; including, costumes, props, actors, and crew members The Producer oversees it all.

3. Reviewing Post Production Progress

Once the shoot is over the job of most of the crew is over, but not the producer. The producer plays a big part in editing and reviewing the work to make sure it will be what the client wants. They will assist in revising the final product, and choose the scenes that should be added or taken away. Another big part of the Producer’s post production job is time management. Making sure everything will be completed in the amount of time given is important for your client’s happiness.

There are many roles a producer plays in the video production services. Each job is important to the flow and success of the video shoot. There are many other positions and crew members that help throughout the process as well. Skillman Video Group has an amazing Women Video Producer in Boston. Christina Skillman makes sure that everything is set so she can play every role as a Producer for her Boston Video Production Company.

Video Production Services in Boston

Our first music video as a New England video production company was a fun adventure and a great learning experience. One of the things that made this day so successful was the team that fulfilled the individual roles to see the project through. When it comes to video production services, every detail matters. That’s why a wise, adaptable and talented team is the greatest asset a video production company may ever possess. When it came down to it, it was the individual roles working together that made this crew able to successfully finish the project.

Do I Need Makeup on Set?

Like we said, every detail counts. Perhaps no one knows this more than the stylist and makeup artists on set. We were lucky enough to have a wonderfully talented team of women in the New England area to dress and primp our models to perfection. With each shot, came a new hair style, a new makeup look, and a fresh outfit. If the models hair wasn’t positioned right, the scene was paused and our stylists repositioned it to minimize distraction on camera. It was tediously and methodically planned out so that in every scene our models were on camera they looked their absolute best.

Music Video Production Services

Arguably though, the most attentive to detail is the cameraman and his lighting assistant. For this shoot, we were fortunate enough to have Jake and his lighting assistant to take charge of this aspect of the shoot. In order to create well-lit subjects, we needed to utilize artificial lights and they had the eyes and patience to appropriately light every scene to perfection. Before the recording button is turned on, everything needs to be on the right setting and positioned correctly. It takes a lot of time and discipline to move the stands, set them accordingly, and position them for every scene. But trust us, it is worth it.

Music Video Producers in Boston

And even still, perhaps the most speculative and observant of even the most minute details is the director. Our director, Christina, was keen with every movement, stance, and facial expression on the models and the lighting, background, and framing of every shot. If it wasn’t perfect or wasn’t capturing the right mood, it was re-done. Was that kiss too long? Let’s re-do it, but this time make it shorter. That facial expression didn’t look right, can we try looking a bit more mysterious and not as in physical pain? Can you keep your hand this way instead of that way? It may seem tedious, but when it comes to producing a drama on camera, you absolutely have to be tedious. The littlest things are often times the most distracting.

Top Music Video Production Company

When it comes to video production services, the best teams are the ones that know which details matter. There really is no limit to the things that can be re-done or distracting. What is key is to have a team knowledgeable and disciplined enough to know what needs to be either brushed up, lit differently, reposed, etc. For our first music video as a New England Video production company, we consider it a success because of the incredible attention to detail and our ability to change them as they needed to be.

Video Production Set Up

We arrived at Carlisle & Company, Thursday the 16th at 9:00 am. The video shoot would be the start of their Video Production Marketing Strategy. The first task our Skillman Video Group production team had, after unloading all the equipment out of the car, was finding the right room to shoot in. We had five different interviews to shoot for their video, and wanted to make sure we had a room that could be transformed to give each shot a different background. It is important to make each scene of your video different. It can be very repetitive to watch 5 different people talk in the same spot. A video becomes more interesting if you are able to switch up the background and allow the viewers focus to change. Once we made it to the office they had given us for the shoot, it was time to set up. For all of the different shots we used the 3-point lighting setup, which is best for interviews. Video Production Services makes sure to find what is best for your shoot, and make the best of what you have to use. Check out how we turned one office into five different shots!

Thought Leadership Interview #1

For the first shot, we worked with the original setup of the office. We had the interviewee chair placed right next to the edge of the desk. We thought it would look nice if the interviewee wanted to put their arm up on the table, but not have too much of the bulky desk shown. We had to shift around some of the background items to create an appealing look. Due to the fact that Carlisle and Co. is part of the automotive industry, we did our best to add as many vehicles as we could. The four cars in a line on the back desk made a nice prop to make it clear what industry they were speaking about. For this shot we also had to switch out some of the pictures so they would look more natural in the shot. The blue poster was switched in to replace a white one that was not as long, and looked weird in the shot. Outside the weather was cloudy to start the day so we used the back light, to make a nice light as if the sun were shining through. This helped bring better light to the background of the shot.

Thought Leadership Interview #2

The second shot, we only made slight adjustments to the lights and where the chair was placed. Our main focus was changing up the background of the room. We moved the chair about 2 feet away from the desk, so we could work with the posters on the side wall. There was a line of catalogs that we removed from the side desk, and replaced with the red car. The picture frames were moved slightly to put them at a better angle for the camera. One of the pictures was taken off the desk because it was a headshot that stood out too much behind the interviewee. The picture frames were switched back, so we did not have the same in two shots. The last thing we moved was the podium. In the earlier shot, we had moved it out of the shot completely. Whereas, in this second shot it was moved back to take away from the white of the walls. The sun started to come out at this point of the morning, so we used the back light to lessen the light from the window by facing it more toward the window.

Thought Leadership Interview #3

After lunch it was time to move onto the third interview of the day. We decided we would try to get more of the desk in this next shot. The chair was moved back toward the desk, and placed in front of it. We did not have to change any of the posters on the wall, because we had not seen this angle before. It was just moving stuff around on the desk to make it a more appealing background. We did not want the desk to look too packed or busy behind the interviewee. There was a big printer on the desk that was just a big block in the back of the shot. It was simple to pull the printer out and keep it on the ground for this shot. We made sure to tuck the cord back into the desk, so they wouldn’t show up. Other than that, it was mostly little things on the desk that we had to move around. The computer was slide over to be more in the shot and take away from white walls. There were two construction trucks that we placed on the desk to fit the theme of what he would be talking about. The sun had once again gone behind the clouds, so the light streaking across the wall and posters came from our back light.

Thought Leadership Interview #4

The fourth shot was more difficult to make different. We had used a lot of that one side of the room, but we were going to get one more. We slid the chair about two feet in the opposite direction we did for the second shot. We wanted to use the wall art and table from this angle. There was this stand with three levels, where the cars we placed in the first shot came from. Putting the cars back on that stand made for a cool aspect of the background. We also slightly adjusted the cars that we had on the desk from the third shoot to make sure they would be seen. In Addition, the cars helped block some of the wires from the computer. The posters on this wall had also not been in a shot yet, which made it easier that we did not have to switch them out. Small things on the desk were slid around; such as the computer, a few mugs, and a cup of markers. The back light was placed to face the posters and wall behind the interviewee because the light from the window was not shining in.

Thought Leadership Interview #5

By the time we were ready to setup for the last interview, we had used up as much of the one side of the room as we could. We decided to flip the chair so that it was facing the other way. The reason we had not done this sooner, was due to the big cabinet in the back filled with binders. It was not the best look, so we had to use some things to spruce it up. Instead of using the stand of cars like in the last shot, we used a chair to take out some of the white wall space. We worked to cover some of the binders by using hub cap that was in the office. The conference table was pushed further from the wall so that only a small part of it would be in the shot. We did not want it to be taking up too much room and look bulky. Because it was a different side of the room, there wasn’t anything that we had to switch on the wall. The last thing we added was a nice plant to bring a better vibe to the shot. We had not used any plants yet, so this was a good addition. The back light made the perfect streak against the wall to make it seem like sunlight was coming through.

It is very important to work with what you have around you. In a situation like this video, when you have multiple interviews, you want to make sure that it isn’t very similar and has some change throughout it. A video could be more boring it is the same scene with a different person in the chair. It is an important part of the shoot for Video Production Company to keep track of the little things to make everything perfect. The smallest change can make the biggest difference. We made the best of our room by creating five different shots in the same office.

How-To Create The Perfect Video

Like any presentation or project, you want to prepare it to be the best. Creating a video concept involves a few steps. Once you have the perfect concept, the Video Production Services will help you turn it into a motion visual , but it all starts with the idea. You want it to speak to your target market. We have seen and created many video pitches. Whether you are brainstorming for your small town business or corporate video ideas, you will have to go through the same steps of preparation. You always want to start thinking of the ‘end goal’, which should be to sell without selling. Check out these steps to creating a great Marketing Video Pitch!

How-To Create a Marketing Pitch

Step One:

Ask yourself these questions…

Who is your audience?

What is your message?

What is your budget?

What resources do you have?

What is your time frame?

It is important to figure out what constraints you have before you begin planning your video.Your constraints will be based off of how you answered the questions. You may not have certain equipment, the ability to use animations, or even costs that act as your constraints. If you know everything you have and don’t have, you will be able to easily determine what you can and can’t do. If you don’t have the ability to create animations, that should not be a key element of your video. You create based on what you have, so your Marketing Video Production Services has to work around your constraints.

Step Two:

Develop an idea based on what you know you have and can do. Your idea needs to have a purpose to get your message across. Take the message you decided on, and find a way to tell it as a story. Use your creativity to develop a fun way to speak to your audience through Video. Whether you decide to create an interview, documentary, or a commercial to market your company, be clear and concise about your idea, and use it as a base for the next steps.

Step Three:

Script it. Take your idea and run with it. Create a script that works for your idea, and stays with your message. Answer all the questions that you hope the video answers, and make sure it flows. You want the script to sounds fluid with your message and concept. The script won’t just decide what is said in the video, but where it might take place and how they might act. The script is important, because it will decide the tone of the video as a whole. Sometimes you won’t even have a script. If you are creating an interview, this step would be dedicated to creating questions that you might want to ask. By the end of this step you will know exactly what your video will be like, and have your message down.

Step Four:

If all goes well on the first three steps, and you have come up with the perfect idea, it is time to start planning the production. This is the stage where Video Production Services plays a big part in helping you create your final product. From scheduling the shoot date, to editing the final product, this idea of yours will be brought to life through the camera. Go back to all those questions you originally asked yourself, and make sure everything is what your company needs. You know your audience, and the marketing video should speak to them.

This project will be the next part of your company’s Video Production Marketing Strategy, you want it to fit perfectly. Make sure to spend time creating your idea, and developing it into a real vision of work. Follow these steps, and get to work. It’s never too early to start brainstorming, so get creative and develop something awesome. Just remember; the key to making a great marketing video is to sell without selling!

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Skillman Video Group (SVG)

This blog is brought to you by Skillman Video Group (SVG) and is a place where our team posts valuable information about our video production services. Our blog posts are comprehensive and readable, and share exciting news about video production, shooting and edition, script writing, SEO and blog writing, internet marketing and web design. For more information please visit our main site www.skillmanvideogroup.com